


Quiet Evening at the Garage

by FlOrangey



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dinner, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, May or may not be romantic depending on interpretation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:52:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3687756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which two people enjoy a nice meal together and become closer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet Evening at the Garage

**Author's Note:**

> I got this idea at random and I wrote it because I thought it would be cute. This piece is cross posted from my tumblr blog: http://fabulacrystal.tumblr.com/. Sorry if there's any formatting errors I'm still getting use AoO's set up.
> 
> I notice there is some disagreement on whether Cindy's name is Cindy or Cidney (Cidny?), I went with Cindy because that seems to be what the localization team is going with though that might change in the...however long it takes for the game to come out. :P

He was sure somewhere there was an unwritten rule in Lucis that Prompto was not allowed to drive the regalia. In fact he was actually sure that it was not unwritten but actually written somewhere in the manual. With his own pen. In his own handwriting. And shoved into the groups face more than a few times. Yet for whatever reason when the time came to switch drivers he agreed to let Prompto drive and he was still trying to figure out what his sleep deprived mind had been thinking.

Now he was walking from the inn they were staying for the next few days to the local garage in Lestallum. Cindy, bless her heart, had been in the area and upon seeing the state that Prompto left their car in immediately agreed to work on it once they got into town. Ignis had not thought of the cost until much later but he was trying very hard to ignore that little inkling in his mind. He approached the garage, the doors were still open and Cindy was dressed the same as ever as she worked on the car. She looked up acknowledging his presence.

“Well look who's here.” She said greeting him with a grin on her face. She always seemed happy to see the boys even if Prompto kept trying to hit on her. “Just you? Where’s everyone else?”

“They’re resting at the inn.” He looked at the regalia which still looked pretty banged up. “How’s the car?”

Cindy bit her lip trying to find words that were gentle but ultimately going for direct. “I’ll just be honest, you’re going to need a new car by the time you get to Niflheim if you keep going like this.”

He was afraid of that. “Well I suppose it’s a good thing we are in the company of royalty.” The comment was bitter, but the humor was not lost on the mechanic girl who laughed a little. “Again thank you for this Cindy, we would be in a hopeless position without your expertise.”

“You probably won’t be saying that when you see the bill.” She said. Ignis cringed and looked at the car. His face turned green. He was never ever letting Prompto drive again. Even if he had to wake up Gladiolus or Noctis and have one of them drive. No scratch that, not Noctis. The prince would fall asleep at the wheel.

“How much is this going to cost?”

“Cutting out the little things...a lot.” She said not giving him a straight answer.

“Numbers please.” He said a little annoyed and he saw Cindy calculate the numbers in her head. “Twenty thousand?” No answer. “Twenty-five.”

“You're looking around forty-five thousand.”

The color drained from his face and he honestly thought he would wake up on the floor. He shook his head trying to regain his composure. “You’re overcharging on purpose aren't you.”

“I’m undercharging you.” Cindy said her voice becoming lower as more people passed by the garage. “I could be worse since I know you are traveling with the most wanted man in the world right now, but I believe in your cause. The fact is with the parts I need to buy, I gotta stay in business and it’s going to be even harder for me to manage inventory now that I’m on the road.”

She was right. Compared to how much it would cost to get their car fixed in Lucis she was giving them a good deal. “Forgive me, I did not mean to imply-”

“It’s alright don’t worry about it.” Cindy said leaning against the vehicle that she had been working on. They were silent for a little while before the mechanic spoke again. “How’s he holding up with all of this?” She asked and Ignis looked at her confused before realizing she was talking about Noctis.

“Better than you’d think for royalty.” Ignis assured her. Noctis was thank the crystal not as spoiled as the stereotypes would imply. “He has us which helps.”

“Must be nice to have people around.” She said and Ignis noticed that she sounded a bit sad, maybe even a little frustrated. Granted she was traveling on her own but he also recalled that she did not have any staff at her garage - the Hammerhead. She had shrugged it off at first just saying it was a slow day so she scheduled no one else. Now he was starting to wonder if there were any other staff.

He did not ask, it was not his place. “Well I’ll leave you to your work.” He said and she nodded her eyes looking down at the floor for a brief second before she nodded and smiled. Her smile was lopsided, and her eyes looked a bit sad.

“Yeah, it should only take a few more days for me to finish the repairs…” She trailed off pointing to the car. “But please I’m begging you when I fix this beauty don’t break her this bad again. You can barely afford to have me fix it, I can’t imagine the look on your face if you find you need to get a new car.”

Ignis nodded and made a mental not to never let Prompto drive again.

XXX

“Guys! While we’re in Lestallum we need to take in the sights!” Prompto said. Ignis was only half listening reading a book and when he looked up he saw that Noctis was only half listening as well; the prince was still trying to wake up from a long nap. “There’s so much here! We need to get out and take in the town.” 

“You mean, hit the clubs?” Gladiolus asked and Prompto practically jumped.

“Exactly! They gotta have some good drinks. Noct, you know of any?”

“We've had Lestallum liquor before Prom.” Noctis spoke up his voice still hoarse from sleeping late. “Remember when we raided the some from father’s private stache.”

“Oh yeah.” Prompto said recalling the memory, “That was Lestallum? Man that was good. And strong. Very strong. Didn't think I’d have something that could knock me flat like that.”

“Yeah that’s what happens when you only stick to the cheap drinks.” Gladiolus said laughing at Prompto’s expression. The blonde look like he wanted to punch Gladiolus in the face. “So it’s decided? We’re going out?”

Both men looked to Noctis, Prompto was almost bouncing with excitement and Gladiolus had a large grin on his face. He was not sure why he was the one making the final decision but he sighed and looked over at the clock. “Now?” He asked.

“No tomorrow. Yes now!” Prompto said grabbing the prince’s arm. “We’ve been here for a day waiting for you to get your ass up. We need to go and do something while waiting for Cindy to finish fixing the car.” The blonde blinked his eyes going blank and his mouth gaping open before his eyes lit up. “Hey I got an idea!” He said accidentally shoving Noctis back on the bed. “We should bring Cindy along! You think she likes clubbing?” The boys had no answer. “Come on we should invite her out! It’d be great.”

“I think that would end horribly.” Ignis said turning a page in his book. “Especially for you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Do we need to answer?” Noctis asked and Prompto glared at him.

“What do you mean ‘do we need to answer’?” He asked and the men exchanged glances before Gladiolus came up with an answer that was less painful on Prompto’s ego.

“Look we’re just thinking we should make it a guys night.” Gladiolus said, “Dance, get drunk, chat with the local girls, try and see how long Noctis lasts in a conversation with a stranger.” He said looking at the prince who frowned his face turning a shade of red. “You know the usual stuff.”

“Yeah I guess.” Prompto said, “Okay! A guys night it is, just the four of us.”

“The three of you actually.” Ignis said getting their attention. Prompto was not sure if he should have expected Ignis addendum or shocked that he said three and not two. The royal adviser tried as much as possible to keep them from taking Noctis out and getting drunk. The crystal was constantly curing ailments that could affect him which made him a bit of a risk taker with his alcohol and the resulting hangovers left the crown prince in a pretty pathetic state. “I need to make arrangements regarding our bill.”

“But that sounds boring. You should come out and enjoy yourself.”

“My enjoyment is different from yours.” Ignis said holding his book up to remind Prompto that he was in fact already enjoying himself. The blonde rolled his eyes.

“You're so lame.” He said turning to the other two. “Okay then the three of us will go out and have a good time while you,” He looked to Ignis,”... _read_ and _pay bills_.”

Ignis could not help but smirk at Prompto’s exaggerated expressions. It took a few minutes for them to get Noctis fully to his feet but once they did the three left their room at the hotel leaving Ignis alone in the room. He frowned a voice in the back of his mind wishing he had gone out, partly because he felt uneasy leaving Noctis in Gladiolus and Prompto’s hands and partly because he sometimes wished he liked going out to the clubs and enjoyed listening to the headache inducing music and seeing people make fools of themselves. Alas he was not that type of person, a curse as it often left him as the designated driver.

Perhaps right now it was a good thing they did not have a car as maybe one of them would stay sober enough to get the other two home. He thought for a moment and closed his book. The chances of that happening were nonexistent. He put the book down checked to see how much gil he could spare after paying Cindy’s expensive but actually not expensive mechanic bill and left the hotel room, the key to the door in his pocket. 

His plan was to stop by one of the pharmacies and get together ingredients that he knew he would need to nurse the hangovers his friends would be suffering from tomorrow. The inn had the basics to make hot drinks he just needed the mixtures and proper potion. Yet on his way to the pharmacy he looked over to the shop the garage that Cindy was using until she needed to begin traveling again. The doors were open and the lights were on.

He checked his watch. It was late, she could not have still been working. His better judgement against him - or perhaps with him - he walked into the shop. The Regalia still looked like it was being worked on and sitting at the desk was Cindy. Or at least she looked to be sitting, her head was on the table, on top of a notebook. He shook his head in disbelief as he heard her soft snoring and put a hand on her shoulder.

She sat up so fast it surprised him. “What? No I’m!” She looked around and saw it was him. “Oh, it's you…” She looked relieved her face turning red in embarrassment. “Didn't think you’d be back already. What time is it?”

“Quarter of nine.” Ignis said looking at his watch. Cindy grumbled and grabbed the remote for the garage, and pressed the button. The doors began to close and she stretched getting to her feet. “You should be more careful.” He said over the sound of it closing.

“Yeah yeah.” Cindy said waving off his concern. “Lestallum isn't a dangerous place, think I’d be fine.”

Ignis watched as she got up and walked over to the car. She looked it over and then looked at him. “I think if I work through the night I can have you guys ready to get back on the road tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s hardly necessary.” Ignis said taking his glasses off for a moment to examine them in the light. The dust in the garage seemed to have become his spectacles new best friend. “You work hard enough as it is, you should rest.”

“Well I guess dinner wouldn't hurt.” She said seeming to only be partly listening to him. He frowned, as she climbed the stairs to what must have been the upstairs rooms in the garage. He followed her and saw her open the freezer and pull out something that looked like many things but food certainly was not one of them.

“What are you doing?” He asked and she jumped.

“Geeze stop doing that.” She said. “Trying to make dinner.”

“That looks like the least appetizing meal I have ever seen.” He said and she frowned. 

“Well it’s the best I got. You have any better ideas?”

“Cook something?” He suggested. Cindy was still frowning and closed the freezer to open the fridge. Water, milk, and various kinds of alcohol lined the walls but no actual food.

“You can find something in there for me to cook without setting the building on fire and I’ll try to make it. Horribly.”

“You don’t cook?”

“Don’t know how.” She said closing it, “Don’t have time even if I did.”

“No one taught you.”

“Anything paw makes is likely to kill a man.”

“And your mother?” Ignis asked and he winced as he heard Cindy slam the packet of premade patties into the sink. He was not sure if it was because she was trying to open it or because he upset her.

“No. She didn’t.” She said her voice straining. He had upset her. Wonderful. He could already see the bill on the car rising. He also expected yelling but she had gotten quiet and turned on the faucet, the sound of running water being the only thing between them. Then he started to smell the - whatever it was - that Cindy was trying to make into a passable meal and went over and shut the water off. “Hey!”

“Throw those away, I’m making you dinner.” He said before he could stop himself. The girl stared at him blinking a little confused by his statement.

“What?”

“Throw those away, I’m making you dinner.” He repeated as he took his hand away from the faucet. The clock read five of nine, the grocery stores would be open for another hour at the most. “I’ll go and get a few things. You get yourself cleaned up and we’ll sit down for a late meal.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Trust me you eat _that_ and you’ll make yourself sick.” He said absolutely positive of his statement and despite the glare that she was giving him she shrugged in agreement. She gave him a spare key so that he could walk in through the front door and he went down to the nearby grocery store.

He already had an idea of what to make, something simple for a simple pallet and he was in and out and back at Cindy’s in only twenty minutes. The streets were quiet and graciously no one was around. He walked in through the front door and set to work. He could hear the shower, not just the running water but also the sound of soft slightly off key humming. He paid little attention to the sound of running water and set to work on cooking. Sometime after he began but was well into the process of turning together a tasty meal the shower had turned off and he heard the sound of footsteps rushing into a nearby room. A few minutes after he turned around to see Cindy step into the kitchen. 

“Oh wow never thought I’d smell something so good in a place like this.” She said sniffing the air taking in the scent of pork and bell peppers. “Yum, never seen this before.”

Ignis said nothing looking her over. She had changed out of the outfit she normally wore while working on cars and into something a little more conservative. Nothing out of the ordinary, a pair of nice jeans and a red tank top that still showed off a good amount of cleavage. Her bra straps were still visible hanging loosely down her shoulders. Her face clean, her skin soft and without her hat on Ignis could see how bright her green eyes were and how nicely her blonde hair hugged her face.

He had always seen why Prompto was attracted to her. Even covered in grease she had always looked very pretty, but now cleaned up and in dress that left more to the imagination she looked quite stunning. She walked over and looked in wonder at how everything was coming along. “Can’t remember the last time I smelt a kitchen full of good food.”

“Yes well I still have much to finish.” He said, “Get the table set for me?”

Cindy did so putting two plates out then the silverware. At her insistence Ignis agreed to let her get out two beers for them. It was actually a surprise she wanted him to stick around and join her but a part of him had expected it. It was a lonely area to be in. By the time he finished preparing dinner it was already well past ten and Cindy was sitting on the couch, watching the late night news.

_“And tonight we have an update on the series of events taking place in the Lucis Kingdom. Contrary to original beliefs of his passing in the initial attack there have been rumors that Prince Noctis Lucis Calleum is alive and on the run. When asked about whether these rumors are true or just smoke Emperor Idola declined to comment.”_

Ignis frowned as he listened to the report and hoped that Noctis was either to drunk to hear the report the report or sober enough to not react to it. He checked his phone to see he had gotten no messages from any of them. He put a hand on the screen wondering if he should at least send a text message to make sure that they were all alright. He put the phone away. “It’s dinner time Cindy.”

“Finally.” She said but she did not sound annoyed, just hungry. The meal he had prepared was Hoisin Pork with peppers, carrots, and noodles strewn about it. A simple yet filling meal. Cindy stared at it almost amazed that something like it could even exist and after saying her graces - religious, Ignis was surprised - careful stabbed her fork into the pork and carrots and put it into her mouth. Her reaction was just was he expected, eyes wide with amazement and delight. They twinkled in the light.

“How is it?”

“Hot!” She said her mouth full but she closed it there, finished chewing and swallowed. “This is so good.”

“I’m glad you like it.” He said a smile on his face as he watched her try an keep her table manners as she ate the food enjoying every bite.

“Do you normally make things like this?”

“Sometimes simpler, sometimes more complicated.” He said, “All for the gentlemen that I travel with.”

“So you must hear praise all the time.” She said a grin on her face that changed to confusion when Ignis let out a small laugh.

“I’m afraid that after years of being the crown prince’s adviser praise for my cooking has become hard to come by.” He said and he saw Cindy pout.

“Well you deserve it I can assure you.” She said taking another bite. She opened the bottle of beer -Ignis winced as she did so with her bare hands - and drank it down. “Where are the other boys anyway? I haven’t seen them since I got you and your car into town.”

“Well last night we turned in to rest and let his highness sleep-”

“Still amazed he slept through the accident.” Cindy said and Ignis nodded. If she was amazed by that he could not wait to see her reaction to the other things he had slept through. He was tempted to share the one where he fell asleep while in the middle of getting a tattoo but figured those kinds of stories should be held for another time.

“Tonight the three of them have decided to enjoy themselves in town. Go to the clubs and drink.”

“And you let them.”

“Indeed.”

“Including the prince.” Cindy said and Ignis sighed.

“His highness is very much a rebellious youth.” Ignis said rubbing his temples. “I have told him in the past that such activities are below his standing but Gladio and Prompto - especially Prompto - insist on taking him out.” And the aftermath of those outings tended to vary but usually resulted in two or three very hungover people. He still did not quite understand why Regis was okay with those occasional outings, the man had justified it as his son needing to become more social but the only thing they resulted in was Ignis treating a very irritable sleepyhead for a hangover.

Taking care of royalty was a much harder job than it looked.

“Maybe that’s why he keeps doing them.” Cindy said a smirk on her face. “The more you tell someone ‘no’ the more they’ll want to do it. He probably just wants to piss you off.”

“Perhaps…” He said. His was halfway through his meal, Cindy was almost finished hers and she was almost done topping off her beer. He had not touched his.

“And you didn’t go out why?” She asked. Her voice hinted at a mild degree of curiosity. Why choose to spend time around the garage she was renting out instead of out with his friends?

“The clubs are not my preference.” He said, “A good book in the evening with some nice wine is enough for me.”

“Oh so you're a wine man. That explains why you haven’t touched the beer.” Cindy said laughing a little and reached her hand out as though asking for it. He held it out for Cindy who took it and opened it, once again with her bare hands. Her second bottle of the night. “Still must be nice to have people around to hang out with.”

“And you don’t?” Ignis asked.

“Usually just me and paw. And he’s not here so just me.” Cindy said. “Me working on the cars ten to twelve hours a day and trying to make good. Now on the road.” She took a sip of the beer and put it down harder on the table than intended. “Work doesn’t leave me with a lot of time to go out since it’s all just me.”

Ignis nodded he recalled that Cindy did not have a co-worker. It had just been her at the Hammerhead when they were trapped in the Duscae region. “Have you considered hiring other people?”

“I have. They leave.” Cindy said pouting. “I scare them.” Ignis raised an eyebrow. Cindy was a lot of things but he was pretty sure scary was not on that long list. She seemed to notice and laughed. “I don’t think I scare them because ‘scary monster or anything’, I think I scare them because, well…” She land back in her chair and held her arms out, “look at who your talking to.” It took a second for Ignis to completely understand what she was implying but when he did he nodded. “But I guess I work better on my own right now. I get to make my own rules and be my own boss.”

“But you get lonely.” Ignis concluded putting his fork on the plate. He saw Cindy frown and wondered if perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries in some way. She looked down at her now finished plate of food.

“You can’t replace people with cars.”

Dinner remained quiet for it’s few remaining minutes and once Cindy finished the last few bites of dinner she volunteered to clean up putting the dishes in the sink. Ignis wondered if that was his cue to leave, but found himself watching the news as more updates regarding the current state of Lucis began pouring in.

_“Now as you can see I am just off the intersection of reliqua in the capital city Insomnia. From here you can see Niflheim forces making rounds. Some are checking homes for structural damage after the initial attack, others escorting civilians to temporary housing. A curfew has been instituted in order to ensure -”_

The reporter was cut off when the sound of gunfire rang out nearby. Ignis could see people in the streets running or being shot at before the feed cut out. The news anchors were stunned silent and one of them tried to come up with something to say before stumbling to direct to the weather. If Ignis were not wearing gloves he was sure his nails would be digging so hard into his skin they would draw blood.

He really hoped that Noctis was not seeing what he was seeing right now. And if he was he hoped the others were making sure that he was okay. Ignis relaxed when he saw a cup of tea placed in front of him on the coffee table. Cindy took a seat next to him on the couch. Silence followed them as Cindy continued to sip on her drink and he took his. He put the tea to his lips, it was a bit on the watery side but otherwise very good.

“You think…” Cindy started but then paused. She seemed to be trying to think of something to talk about but at the same time could not find anything appropriate. He waited and she said something again. “You all can stop this right? You can get the crystal back?”

“That’s what we are hoping for.” Ignis said. They had to for Lucis sake and for Noctis’. The news continued eventually slipping back into events currently going on in Altissa and Tenebrae, rumors of the entering of future peace talks, as well as news of a festival that would continue in Tenebrae despite the rumors that Stella’s sister - Luna - had been pronounced dead in the initial attack.  

“My sister had worked tirelessly in order to improve the livelihood of our people. To not hold this event would be a dishonor to her name. To her sacrifice.”

“You gotta admit she’s doin’ a good job keeping herself together.” Cindy said. Ignis was wondering how much of the words were sincerity and how much were scripted on notecards for the sake of putting on a good show for the press. He did not entertain those thoughts for long as Cindy suddenly yawning distracted him.

“Tired?” Ignis asked. He checked the clock, it was much later than he had originally believed. What was that saying Prompto liked? Time flies when you are having fun? He had not actually considered the possibility that he was having fun but he did have to admit he was enjoying himself.

“A little.” She said sinking into the couch, “Don’t want to go to sleep yet.”

“Would you like me to leave?” He asked. He expected a yes when taking into account how late it was. Instead he saw her shake her head. She looked at him her eyes showing that yes she was tired, but they looked bright, content by his presence. She was surprisingly comfortable around him. “Well perhaps you’d like to watch something else?”

Cindy had suggested a movie, some kind of adventure drama she had picked up when she had some spare money. She put it in and sat down next to him getting comfortable. Perhaps a little too comfortable. The film was one Ignis would find dull and twenty minutes in he felt Cindy put more pressure on his side. He looked down to see the girl had fallen asleep and was using his shoulder as a pillow. He stared at her than looked at the clock, then looked back at her.

He smiled and shook his head, then he took off his glasses and put them on the coffee table next to the empty cup of tea.

The next thing he knew it was morning. He had not even realized he had fallen asleep but the sun shining into the room woke him up. He was still on the couch but he had spread out and a thin blanket was covering him. Cindy was nowhere in sight. He sat up and rubbed his head feeling a headache from not sleeping on something proper. His neck was stiff. Very stiff. He stretched it out a little and put his glasses on, his ears caught the sound of something in the garage. A banging noise like the hood of a car being closed.

He walked down into the garage, the doors were open and Cindy was back to working on the regalia. She had not changed out of her clothes from last night and her hair was tossed around reminding him of a baby chocobo. She looked up. “Good morning.” She said very bright. “You looked pretty comfortable so I thought I’d let you sleep a bit.”

“What time is it?” He asked.

“Close to eight.” Cindy said. “Your phone woke me up, not sure if it’s important or not.”

Ignis reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His alarm had gone off but more importantly there was a text message. Three of them actually. One from Prompto, two from Gladiolus.

He checked the one from Prompto. _‘E VRYTHN HRTZ!!!1! D: D: D:’_. Ignis deleted it and went to Gladiolus’.

_‘Back at the hotel. Fun night! Should have been there!’_

The coherency of Gladiolus’ message told him the large man did not get too inebriated last night, which Ignis considered a relief. He went to the second which had come in less than an hour ago.

_‘Where r ya? Noct ain’t looking too good. Drank to much last night.’_

Ignis closed his phone and sighed. “I have to go back.”

“The boys have fun last night?”

“Indeed…” He said. If he was correct Gladiolus had probably escorted Noctis to the bathroom and the prince was likely emptying what was left of his stomach into the toilet. “So much fun it appears I have hangovers I need to treat.”

“Sounds fun.” Cindy said sarcastic. “Do you need an extra hand? I know a few tricks from having to take care of paw when he comes home after a night.”

He had not expected the offer for help but took it anyway. Her presence would hopefully keep Prompto calm especially after he gave him his little concoction of a cure. That and he had to admit he wanted to spend a little more time with the mechanic. The two went down to the pharmacy and Ignis picked up the things he would need occasionally answering Cindy’s questions and comparing notes on what she would do for her father. He saw that the girl was making mental notes.

The walk back to the hotel was quiet and uninteresting, yet at the same time quite comfortable. He knocked on the door to their room and he immediately heard Prompto complaining about noise. Gladiolus was the one to answer the door. “There you are, I’ve been worried. Where were you?”

“Out with a friend.” Ignis said and Gladiolus frowned before seeing he was not the only one present. He looked more relaxed and a smirk formed on his face.

“Oh hey Cindy.” He said looking at her and then back to Ignis. He was still smirking and Ignis noticed he looked like he wanted to laugh. “Prom’s going to love this… Hey Prom!”

“I told you to-” Prompto was lying on the bed his pillow on his head. To say he looked like he had run over by a car would be kind. He looked like he had been run over by an eighteen wheeler which then lost control and landed on him. However as Ignis and Cindy entered the room the blonde noticeably perked up. “Cindy?” He shouted before feeling like he was just shocked to death and flopped back in bed. “Hi Cindy.”

“You look like hell.”

“Please keep your voice down!” Prompto begged and Cindy looked at him then the other two. She had barely raised her voice and she was rolling her eyes. Ignis noticed that Noctis was nowhere in sight but when he looked to Gladiolus to inquire the man motioned his head to the bathroom door. Of course he had been right. Then again this would not be the first time he found Noctis next to a toilet after a long night of drinking. He made his way over and was relieved to find the prince had not missed and was sitting against the bathtub his head resting on it.

“Have a good night your highness?” He asked. Noctis responded with some weird mix of a grumble and a growl. It was safe to say that not only was the crown prince hung over but he was also still half asleep. Noctis was never a morning person and Ignis was positive there was no way he would be able to get the young man to move.

He had Gladiolus watch Noctis as he put his concoction together. Cindy sat on the bed next to Prompto, she had wrapped some ice into a facecloth and put it against his temples. “That feels good.”

“Feeling better?”

“Now that you’re here.”

For some reason Ignis felt like dumping the hot drink he had just made over the blondes head but he resisted that urge and motioned for Cindy to help him get the blonde into a sitting position. He had Prompto take the cup and drink the remedy. “Ugh! Tastes awful.” He said but with one look from Ignis the blonde went back to drinking it making strange sputtering noises as he did so.  

When Ignis was sure Prompto was not going to choke on the drink he entered the bathroom and gave the second mug to Noctis. The young man needed help keeping it in his hand something Gladiolus was happy to assist with. When Noctis finished he had Gladiolus bring him back to bed. Prompto had already fallen asleep. Noctis was out cold seconds later. “I get the feeling we won’t be doing much today.” He said pushing his glasses up.

“Not much we can do without the car.” Gladiolus said. Cindy jumped up to her feet leaving Prompto’s side, pulling herself out of his limb grip.

“Guess that’s my cue to get back to work.” Cindy said looking at the clock on the night stand. “Need to get the place open and get your car finished up. She should be done in a few hours.”

“Take your time.” Ignis said looking at her than the two passed out boys. “We’re in no hurry.”

She nodded a grin on her face and walked over to them. “I’ll message you when I’m done.” She said. She turned to Ignis and again he saw just how bright green her eyes were. “Thank you for last night. Take care.”

With that she was out the door, before Ignis could say anything else leaving him staring in a bit of a stupor. That stupor vanished when he felt Gladiolus wrap an arm around his shoulders. The taller, larger man was smirking.

“So, what happened last night?”

“Dinner…” Ignis said.

“And?”

“...a movie.” Gladiolus could see his friend was deliberately avoiding his gaze and that his face had turned a noticeable shade of red. He let out a small laugh quiet enough to not wake up the sleeping boys in the room.

“Didn’t think you have it in ya to try and steal Prom’s girl.”

“She’s not Prom’s girl.” He said and it took him a second to realize that he said that with much more vitrol than he intended. He muttered something incoherent under his breath as he moved Gladiolus arm - the man was still _smirking_ \- sat down at the table in the room and continued reading his book. His face was still red.


End file.
